Daily Roast
Raskin Rallies Potomac Peeps against Trump Corruption
September 26, 2019"The American people are ready and eager for us to confront the President on acts of lawlessness that are coming out of the White House on a daily basis." So said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), speaking to a group of supporters Sunday in Potomac. He was talking about his legislation defending the Emoluments Clause, the part of the U.S. Constitution that prohibits presidents and federal officeholders from receiving any gift, payment or other thing of value from a foreign state or its representatives.
(Photo by: Beth Solomon)
Rep. Raskin addresses Potomac supporters
Before this week's head-spinning news cycle involving Ukraine, Raskin was adamant that the payments President Trump has received through his businesses are a violation of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
"I did a complete study of every single request by a U.S. president for approval of an emolument," Raskin said. "Abraham Lincoln...took the time to send to Congress these two big elephant tusks that he received from the King of Siam. They were like his prize possessions. He really wanted to keep them. The House of Representatives looked at it and said, 'Sorry Mr. President, you're doing a great job in the War and everything, but you can't keep the tusks. Turn them over to the Dept. of Interior.'"
(Photo by: Beth Solomon)
Supporters listen to rising Congressional star Rep. Jamie Raskin
"President Andrew Jackson...got a gold medallion from Simon Bolivar, who was then the prime minister of Venezuela. He loved it. And he said, 'Can I keep it? It won't affect how I treat Bolivar or Venezuela.' Congress said 'No. You can't. Turn it over to the Dept. of State,'" Raskin continued.
Before Trump, "Every other president has respected the rule in the Constitution that you can't take this," Raskin, a graduate of Georgetown Day School and Harvard, said. "The framers wanted the president's loyalties to run in a complete and undivided way to the American people. Not to deputies from Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, not to people bearing presents from the dictator of the Philippines, not to people who are doing business with the hotel."
"The American people," he continued, "that's the whole idea. This president has collected millions of dollars -- millions of dollars -- without once coming to the Congress of the United States. He's got business transactions with 500 businesses...real estate deals, selling the use of his image, selling the use of his name, the golf courses, Mar a Lago, the hotels around the country, and of course -- the headquarters of all the corruption, the Trump Hotel in Washington -- which I call "The Washington Emolument."
"So our resolution, which now has 160 cosponsors, will say, 'Mr. President, we are aware of these various payments. You must give us a complete accounting of all payments you've gotten from princes and kings and foreign governments...and we disapprove of the ones we know of. And please write a check for the ones you have received to the U.S. Treasury, with interest, from the point you received them, like every U.S. president has done."
When Raskin's young daughter asked him what he thought of the Women's March in 2017, he said he was completely inspired by it, but when pressed by her, pointed out that there were no chants about the Emoluments Clause.
She said, "Dad, nothing rhymes with the Emoluments Clause."
Raskin took it as a challenge. His answer?
"Stop Trump, Stop Pence! Impeach them for Emol-u-ments!"
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Katie Couric on Holistic Caregiving at Georgetown Lombardy Cancer Center
August 8, 2019On Wednesday, August 7, 2019 Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center welcomed Katie Couric, an award-winning journalist and the co-founder of cancer advocacy nonprofit Stand Up To Cancer, for the Inaugural Edward M. Kovach Cura Personalis Endowed Lecture.
Mr. Edward Kovach attended Georgetown for both his undergraduate and law degrees, and later practiced labor law for several decades after serving our country as an officer in the United States Coast Guard. According to his daughter, Ed's professional and personal life were shaped by his education at Georgetown. It's also where he would meet his wife of 56 years, Kathleen. In addition, his experience would inspire him to serve as a member of the Georgetown University Board of Governors and as President of the Georgetown University Alumni Club in Northern California.
In 2014, Ed was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and again, placed his trust and confidence in Georgetown, this time under the medical care of Dr. John Marshall. Ed lived with this illness for another three and a half years, a remarkable feat for patients with stage four pancreatic cancer. Ed's wife, the couple's five children and their families, have decided to show Ed's gratitude and love for Georgetown by memorializing him with an endowed lecture, an effort led by his daughter Alexandra.
Couric’s lecture, "The Healing Power of Communication," was moderated by Georgetown Lombardi oncologist Dr. John Marshall. The lecture's focus was on holistic caregiving that celebrates the principle of cura personalis or "care for the whole person," personified by the outstanding medical professionals who made Ed's experience as a patient such a positive one.
Watch the entire video here.
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WFP Lists One-of-a-Kind Georgetown Condo
June 27, 2019Washington Fine Properties has listed a spectacular one bedroom condominium at 1318 35th Street NW #3 in Georgetown for $749,000.
Situated on two floors, the unit was recently renovated with over $150,000 in improvements, including a new HVAC, new water heater, all-new Anderson windows & doors, new energy efficient/European kitchen appliances (Liebherr and Bosch), an induction range, Restoration Hardware marble top vanity/sink, heated towel rack, and Toto toilets.
(Photo by: HomeVisit)
Oak floors have all been refinished, the patio was re-graded with all new bricks, and a new, larger balcony was installed on the upper floor.
Ruth France, the original owner, purchased this residence when the building went condo in the mid-1980s. Ruth France (nee Murray) was a native Washingtonian who founded Washington, D.C.'s first beatnik coffeehouse in 1959 with her first husband, William A. Walker.
Coffee 'n' Confusion attracted jazz musicians and poets, including high schooler Jim Morrison (The Doors), and received a lot of media attention in Eisenhower-era Washington, D.C. Bill Walker wrote poetry while Ruth was a painter, and together the glamorous couple made headlines. Later in life, Ruth worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on the Citizens Association of Georgetown where she won the Belin Award for distinguished service to Georgetown.
(Photo by: HomeVisit)
The wood-paneled library and series of three arched doors on the second level was Ruth’s original design. She had always dreamed of having a beautiful library that would house her many books. President of the Condo Association from 1987-89, she lived in Unit 3 until her death in 2011. Ruth's daughter, Brandel France de Bravo, inherited the condo from her mother.
(Photo by: Ruth France family)
Coffee 'n' Confusion
Brandel is a poet, essayist, and public health professional. She is the author of two books of poetry (Provenance; and Mother, Loose), co-author of the parenting book Trees Make the Best Mobiles: Simple Ways to Raise your Child in a Complex World, featured on The Today Show, and she is editor of the bilingual anthology, Mexican Poetry Today: 20/20 Voices.
Brandel remodeled the condo in 2017-18 and lived there with her husband until late 2018/early 2019 after selling her Burleith home of 17 years (with help from the very same Lenore Rubino). Read more about Brandel and her work here.
(Photo by: HomeVisit)
For a virtual tour, click here.
For more information, contact Lenore Rubino at 202.262.1261
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